A mixed-methods stress audit with midwives in the United Kingdom.

PROBLEM: UK midwives report high work-related stress, which can negatively impact their health and wellbeing, with many considering leaving the profession. BACKGROUND: An occupational stress audit guides the implementation of stress management intervention, by identifying which stressors have the most negative impact and why, and highlighting "at risk" groups. AIM: To conduct a concurrent mixed-methods stress audit with UK midwives in an NHS Trust. METHODS: Seventy-one midwives (Mage= 39 years, SD = 11) completed a survey assessing stressors (e.g., relationships), stress appraisals (i.e., challenge vs. threat), coping strategies (e.g., avoidance-focused), and outcomes (i.e., mental health, performance, and intention to leave). Ten midwives (Mage = 42 years, SD = 10) participated in semi-structured interviews. FINDINGS: Quantitative data revealed that more work-related demands, poorer peer support and relationships, and threat appraisals predicted worse mental health. Moreover, less control and more work-related demands predicted poorer performance, while less control, poorer manager support, more change-related demands, and threat appraisals predicted greater intention to leave. Qualitative data generated three themes: organisational pressures exacerbated by unexpected changes; individualised responses but largely debilitative emotions; and personal coping and power of social support. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study offered a comprehensive and novel insight into the stress experiences of UK midwives, highlighting targets for future stress management interventions, including key stressors (e.g., manager support), underlying mechanisms (e.g., stress appraisals), and "at-risk" groups (e.g., night shift workers). Practical recommendations are provided for stakeholders operating at multiple levels (e.g., midwife, trust, policy) to better support midwives with work-related stress.

Cumulative lifetime stressor exposure and health in elite athletes: the moderating role of perfectionism.

Although greater lifetime stressor exposure has been associated with physical and mental health issues in the general population, relatively little is known about how lifetime stressors impact the physical and mental health of elite athletes or the factors moderating this association. Given that many elite athletes show signs of perfectionism, and that this trait has been linked with ill-health, it is possible that perfectionism may moderate the lifetime stressor-health relationship. To test this possibility, we examined how cumulative lifetime stressor exposure was associated with general mental and physical health complaints in elite athletes, and the extent to which these associations were moderated by perfectionism. Participants were 110 elite athletes (64 female; M age = 29.98 years, SD = 10.54) who completed assessments of lifetime stressor exposure, physical health, psychological distress, and perfectionism. As hypothesised, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that experiencing more severe lifetime stressors was related to poorer physical and mental health. Furthermore, self-oriented perfectionism moderated the association between lifetime stressor count and severity and physical health, but not mental health. Overall, these data demonstrate stressor-specific effects among elite athletes and highlight the potential importance of assessing lifetime stressor exposure and perfectionistic tendencies in order to improve athlete health and well-being.

Effectiveness of interventions on occupational stress, health and well-being, performance, and job satisfaction for midwives: A systematic mixed methods review.

BACKGROUND: Work-related stress is high in midwifery with negative implications for midwives' health and performance. This systematic review therefore examined which stress management interventions (SMIs) are most effective at reducing occupational stress and improving midwives' health and well-being, performance, and job satisfaction. METHODS: A systematic review included studies if they were: investigating midwives or student midwives; examining an individual- or organisation-level intervention; reporting the intervention effects on at least one outcome (e.g., job performance); peer-reviewed; and published in English. Methodological quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A narrative synthesis was conducted and data were presented by SMI level (i.e., individual vs. organisation) and modality type (e.g., mindfulness, care model). Sum codes were used to compare the effects of individual- and organisation-level SMIs on outcomes. FINDINGS: From 2605 studies identified, 30 were eligible (18 individual- and 12 organisation-level SMIs). Eight studies were deemed low quality. While individual- and organisation-level SMIs were equally effective in improving job satisfaction and performance, there was a trend for organisation-level SMIs more effectively reducing work stress and improving health and well-being. Specific individual- (i.e., mindfulness, simulation training) and organisation-level (i.e., reflective groups, midwifery care models) SMIs were most beneficial. CONCLUSION: It is recommended that health practitioners and policy makers implement interventions that target both individual- and organisation-levels to optimally support midwives' work stress, health, well-being, and performance. Notwithstanding these findings and implications, some studies had poor methodological quality; thus, future research should better follow intervention reporting guidelines.

A qualitative exploration of how lifetime stressor exposure influences sport performers' health, well-being, and performance.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recent research has shown that lifetime stressor exposure can negatively impact sport performers. However, this work has predominantly relied on quantitative methods, which has provided limited information regarding how stressors occurring over the life course affect health, well-being, and performance. This study aimed to explore how relatively high levels of lifetime (non-sport and sport-specific) stressor exposure influenced sport performers' health, well-being, and performance. METHODS AND DESIGN: To identify participants who had experienced high lifetime (non-sport and sport-specific) stressors, we used criterion-based purposeful sampling from a prior study. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews, complemented by timelining, were conducted with 22 sport performers (17 female; Mage = 25.89, SD = 10.20). RESULTS: We used reflexive thematic analysis to develop three overarching themes that illustrate how high lifetime (non-sport and sport-specific) stressor exposure influences sport performers' health, well-being, and performance. These were: psychological (e.g., maladaptive coping strategies), social (e.g., difficulties in building relationships), and behavioral (e.g., risky behaviors) factors. CONCLUSIONS: These findings can help practitioners identify sport performers at risk of developing stress-related health, well-being, and performance problems, and may aid the development of effective interventions.

The tendency to appraise stressful situations as more of a threat is associated with poorer health and well-being.

It has been argued that habitually appraising stressful events as more of a threat (i.e., situational demands exceed personal coping resources) may increase one's risk of ill-health (e.g., depression). However, while first theorized 15 years ago, little research has tested this assertion. Thus, this study offered a novel test of the associations between trait challenge and threat appraisals and health-related outcomes (i.e., mental health symptomology, psychological well-being, and physical health complaints). Three hundred and ninety-five participants (251 female, 144 male; Mage = 22.50 years, SD = 5.33) completed valid and reliable measures of trait challenge and threat appraisals, mental health (i.e., symptoms of depression and anxiety), well-being (e.g., subjective vitality), and physical health complaints (e.g., respiratory illnesses). Regression analyses revealed that trait challenge and threat appraisals accounted for a significant proportion of variance in all outcomes after controlling for age and gender, with a tendency to appraise stressful events as more of a threat associated with poorer mental health (i.e., greater depression symptomology), well-being (e.g., lower vitality), and physical health (e.g., more respiratory illnesses). Taken together, the findings highlight the importance of trait challenge and threat appraisals for health, although further research is needed using stronger designs (e.g., longitudinal) to enable a more causal understanding.

Lifetime Stressor Exposure and Psychophysiological Reactivity and Habituation to Repeated Acute Social Stressors.

This study addressed whether lifetime stressor exposure was associated with psychophysiological reactivity and habituation to a novel laboratory-based stressor. Eighty-six participants (Mage = 23.31 years, SD = 4.94) reported their exposure to lifetime non-sport and sport-specific stressors before completing two consecutive trials of the Trier Social Stress Test, while cardiovascular (i.e., heart rate) and endocrine (i.e., salivary cortisol) data were recorded. Exposure to a moderate number of lifetime non-sport and sport-specific stressors was associated with adaptive cardiovascular reactivity, whereas very low or very high stressor exposure was related to maladaptive reactivity. Moreover, experiencing a very low number of lifetime non-sport (but not sport-specific) stressors was associated with poorer habituation. In contrast, lifetime stressor severity was unrelated to cardiovascular reactivity. Finally, greater lifetime non-sport and sport-specific stressor counts were associated with blunted cortisol reactivity and poorer habituation. These results suggest that lifetime stressor exposure may influence sport performers' acute stress responses.

Pulling the Trigger: The Effect of a 5-Minute Slow Diaphragmatic Breathing Intervention on Psychophysiological Stress Responses and Pressurized Pistol Shooting Performance.

This study examined the effect of slow diaphragmatic breathing on psychophysiological stress responses and pressurized performance. Sixty-seven participants (40 female; Mage = 20.17 ± 2.77 years) were randomly assigned to either a diaphragmatic-breathing, paced-breathing, or control group. Participants completed a nonpressurized shooting task and then received instructions about a pressurized version. Next, the diaphragmatic group was told to breathe at 6 breaths/min, the paced group at 12 breaths/min, and the control group received no instructions. Following a 5-min intervention period, participants completed the pressurized task while performance was assessed. Psychophysiological stress responses (e.g., cognitive anxiety, heart rate) were recorded throughout. Results revealed that diaphragmatic breathing had mixed effects on stress responses, with some unaffected (e.g., heart rate) and others reduced (e.g., cognitive anxiety), and little effect on performance. Findings suggested that slow diaphragmatic breathing might not aid pressurized performance but could benefit psychological stress responses.

Assessing lifetime stressor exposure in sport performers: Associations with trait stress appraisals, health, well-being, and performance.

Research has found that greater lifetime stressor exposure increases the risk for mental and physical health problems. Despite this, few studies have examined how stressors occurring over the entire lifespan affect sport performers' health, well-being, and performance, partly due to the difficulty of assessing lifetime stressor exposure. To address this issue, we developed a sport-specific stress assessment module (Sport SAM) for the Stress and Adversity Inventory (STRAIN) and then analyzed the instrument's usability, acceptability, validity, and test-retest reliability. Furthermore, we examined whether trait-like tendencies to appraise stressful situations as a challenge or threat mediated the association between lifetime stressor exposure and health, well-being, and performance. Participants were 395 sport performers (Mage = 22.50 years, SD = 5.33) who completed an online survey. Results revealed that the Sport SAM demonstrated good usability and acceptability, good concurrent validity in relation to the Adult STRAIN (rs = 0.23 to 0.29), and very good test-retest reliability (r icc = 0.87 to 0.89). Furthermore, the Sport SAM was significantly associated with symptoms of depression (ß = 0.21 to 0.24, ps ≤ .001) and anxiety (ß = 0.13 to 0.19, ps ≤ .012), and general physical (ß = 0.24 to 0.27, ps = ≤ 0.001) and mental (ß = 0.23 to 0.32, p ≤ .001) health complaints. Finally, we found that associations between total lifetime non-sport and sport-specific stressor severity and health were mediated by trait stress appraisals. Consequently, these findings may help practitioners better identify sport performers who are at risk of developing stress-related health problems.

Physical Demands of Refereeing Rugby Sevens Matches at Different Competitive Levels.

ABSTRACT: Sant'Anna, RT, Roberts, SP, Moore, LJ, and Stokes, KA. Physical demands of refereeing rugby sevens matches at different competitive levels. J Strength Cond Res 35(11): 3164-3169, 2021-The aim of this study was to compare the physical demands of officiating across different competitive levels in rugby sevens. An observational design was used involving 27 referees (26 men and 1 woman, age: 27 ± 6 years, body mass [mean ± SD]: 78.5 ± 9.3 kg, and height: 179 ± 5 cm). Global Navigation Satellite Systems data were collected across a total of 114 matches during 5 separate rugby sevens tournaments played in England-between May and July 2018-categorized into 4 competitive levels: (a) international, (b) professional, (c) semiprofessional, and (d) amateur. Compared with referees officiating at the international, professional, and semiprofessional levels, referees officiating at the amateur level covered less total (p < 0.001) and relative distance (p < 0.001). In addition, these referees covered more distance walking and jogging (p < 0.001). Amateur referees also completed fewer sprints (p = 0.006), repeated high-intensity efforts (RHIEs) per game (p < 0.001), and spent longer between RHIEs (p = 0.015). Finally, for the amateur referees, the duration of the longest repeated high-intensity bout (i.e., worst case scenario) was lower (p < 0.001), with less distance covered (p < 0.001) and fewer high-intensity accelerations (p < 0.001). Refereeing rugby sevens is therefore more physically demanding at higher competitive levels, particularly in terms of high-intensity efforts. The results provide vital information for practitioners involved in the physical preparation of rugby sevens referees.

Cumulative lifetime stress exposure, depression, anxiety, and well-being in elite athletes: A mixed-method study.

Research suggests that elite athletes are at increased risk of poor mental health, partly due to the intense demands associated with top-level sport. Despite growing interest in the topic, the factors that influence the mental health and well-being of elite athletes remain unclear. From a theoretical perspective, the accumulation of stress and adversity experienced over the life course may be an important factor. To investigate this possibility, we employed a mixed-method design to: (a) examine whether cumulative lifetime stress predicted depression, anxiety, and well-being in elite athletes; and (b) help explain why cumulative lifetime stress exposure might have resulted in poor mental health and well-being. Ninety-five elite athletes (M age = 29.81, SD = 10.88) completed the Stress and Adversity Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale, and the Scales of General Well-Being. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that total count and severity of lifetime stressor exposure significantly predicted greater depression (ß = .42, p < .001; ß = .46, p < .001) and anxiety symptoms (ß = .34, p = .003; ß = .28, p = .018), and worse well-being (ß = -.42, p < .001; ß = -.30, p = .015). Semi-structured interviews were then conducted with six athletes. Thematic analysis revealed that cumulative lifetime stress exposure fostered poor mental health and well-being by promoting maladaptive long-term coping strategies, increasing susceptibility to future stress, and limiting interpersonal relationships. We believe these findings can help practitioners identify, and intervene accordingly with, elite athletes at risk of experiencing stress-related mental health problems.

Rugby union referees' physical and physiological demands across different competitive levels.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the match demands of officiating 15-a-side rugby union at different competitive levels. METHODS: Data was collected using Global Navigation Satellite Systems from 21 referees during 82 competitive rugby union matches across three different competitive levels: 1) professional; 2) semi-professional; 3) amateur. RESULTS: Compared with referees at the professional and semi-professional levels, referees at the amateur level covered less total distance (P=0.005). Additionally, these referees covered less distance jogging, and at low and medium intensity (all P<0.05), and had less time between repeated high-intensity efforts (P<0.001). Furthermore, compared with referees at the semi-professional and amateur levels, referees at the professional level had a higher sprint duration and covered more distance sprinting (all P<0.05), and achieved a higher maximal speed during the longest repeated high-intensity effort or "worst-case scenario" (P=0.026). The professional level referees also displayed a lower average heart rate (P<0.001), spent a higher percentage of time at <60% HRmax (P<0.001), and a lower percentage of time between 71% and 80% HRmax (P=0.004). Finally, external and internal load were strongly correlated for referees at the semi-professional level only (r=0.75, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the findings demonstrate that refereeing 15-a-side rugby union is more physically demanding at higher competitive levels, particularly in terms of high-intensity efforts. The results provide important information for practitioners involved in the physical preparation and training of rugby union referees.

In-task auditory performance-related feedback promotes cardiovascular markers of a challenge state during a pressurized task.

Background and Objectives: Individuals evaluate the demands and resources associated with a pressurized situation, which leads to distinct patterns of cardiovascular responses. While it is accepted that cognitive evaluations are updated throughout a pressurized situation, to date, cardiovascular markers have only been recorded immediately before, or averaged across, these situations. Thus, this study examined the influence of in-task performance-related feedback on cardiovascular markers of challenge and threat to explore fluctuations in these markers. Methods and Design: Forty participants completed a pressurized visual search task while cardiovascular markers of challenge and threat were recorded. During the task, participants received either positive or negative feedback via distinct auditory tones to induce a challenge or threat state. Following task completion, cardiovascular markers were recorded during a recovery phase. Results: Participants' cardiovascular responses changed across the experimental protocol. Specifically, while participants displayed a cardiovascular response more reflective of a challenge state following in-task performance-related feedback, participants exhibited a response more akin to a threat state later during the recovery phase. Conclusions: In-task auditory performance-related feedback promoted cardiovascular markers of a challenge state. These markers fluctuated over the experiment, suggesting that they, and presumably underlying demand and resource evaluations, are relatively dynamic in nature.

How Consistent Are Challenge and Threat Evaluations? A Generalizability Analysis.

Viewing stressful situations as more of a challenge than a threat (i.e., coping resources match or exceed situational demands) has been associated with better performance and long-term health. However, to date, little research has examined if individuals have tendencies to evaluate all stressful situations as more of a challenge or threat. Thus, this study used generalizability analyses to investigate the consistency (or variability) of challenge and threat evaluations across potentially stressful situations. 1813 roller derby players (89.0% female; M age = 33 years, SD = 7) read nine stressful vignettes (e.g., injury, non-selection, family illness), before completing self-report items assessing challenge and threat evaluations. Generalizability analyses revealed that the Athlete × Stressor interaction accounted for the greatest amount of variance in challenge and threat evaluations (51.9%), suggesting that athletes had idiosyncrasies in their tendency to view particular stressors as more of a challenge or threat. The Athlete (15.4%) and Stressor (21.9%) components also accounted for a significant amount of variance. While the Athlete component suggested some consistency in challenge and threat evaluations, and that differences existed between athletes in whether they tended to view stressors as more of a challenge or threat, the Stressor component indicated some agreement among the athletes in their tendency to view some stressors as more of a challenge or threat than others. The findings offer direct support for transactional stress theories, and have important implications for practitioners developing stress management interventions.

Perceptual-cognitive expertise when refereeing the scrum in rugby union.

Compared to sports performers, relatively little is known about how sports officials make decisions at a perceptual-cognitive level. Thus, this study examined the decision-making accuracy and gaze behaviour of rugby union referees of varying skill levels while reviewing scrum scenarios. Elite (n = 9) and trainee (n = 9) referees, as well as experienced players (n = 9), made decisions while watching ten projected scrum clips and wearing a mobile eye-tracker. Decision-making accuracy and gaze behaviour were recorded for each scrum. The elite and trainee referees made more accurate decisions than the players, and differences in gaze behavior were observed. The elite and trainee referees displayed lower search rates, spent more time fixating central-pack (i.e., front rows, binds, and contact point) and less time fixating outer-pack (e.g., second rows) and non-pack (e.g., other) locations, and exhibited lower entropy than the players. While search rate failed to predict decision-making accuracy, the time spent fixating central-, outer-, and non-pack locations, as well as entropy, were significant predictors. The findings have implications for training perceptual-cognitive skill among sports officials.

Adverse life events, cardiovascular responses, and sports performance under pressure.

Research suggests that experiencing a moderate number of adverse life events can benefit future stress responses. This study explored the relationship between adverse life (ie, non-sport) events and cardiovascular responses to, and performance during, a pressurized sporting task. One hundred participants (64 men, 36 women; Mage =21.94 years, SDage =4.98) reported the number of adverse life events (eg, serious accident or injury) they had encountered before completing a pressurized dart-throwing task during which performance was recorded. Before the task, participants' demand and resource evaluations and cardiovascular reactivity were assessed. Adverse life events did not impact demand and resource evaluations. However, participants who reported 4-7 adverse life events displayed cardiovascular responses more reflective of a challenge state (relatively lower total peripheral resistance and/or higher cardiac output) compared to those who reported a lower (<4) or higher (>7) number of events. Furthermore, participants who reported 3-13 adverse life events outperformed those who reported a lower (<3) or higher (>13) number of events. Supplementary analyses suggested that this relationship might be due to a small number of extreme values. However, after outlier analyses, a significant linear relationship remained suggesting that a higher number of adverse life events facilitated performance. The results suggest that experiencing a moderate to high number of adverse life events might have beneficial effects on subsequent cardiovascular responses and performance under pressure. Practitioners should therefore consider prior brushes with adversity when identifying athletes who are likely to excel during stressful competition.

The effects of arousal reappraisal on stress responses, performance and attention.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effects of arousal reappraisal on cardiovascular responses, demand and resource evaluations, self-confidence, performance and attention under pressurized conditions. A recent study by Moore et al. [2015. Reappraising threat: How to optimize performance under pressure. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 37(3), 339-343. doi: 10.1123/jsep.2014-0186 ] suggested that arousal reappraisal is beneficial to the promotion of challenge states and leads to improvements in single-trial performance. This study aimed to further the work of Moore and colleagues (2015) by examining the effects of arousal reappraisal on cardiovascular responses, demand and resource evaluations, self-confidence, performance and attention in a multi-trial pressurized performance situation. DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to either an arousal reappraisal intervention or control condition, and completed a pressurized dart throwing task. The intervention encouraged participants to view their physiological arousal as facilitative rather than debilitative to performance. Measures of cardiovascular reactivity, demand and resource evaluations, self-confidence, task performance and attention were recorded. RESULTS: The reappraisal group displayed more favorable cardiovascular reactivity and reported higher resource evaluations and higher self-confidence than the control group but no task performance or attention effects were detected. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate the strength of arousal reappraisal in promoting adaptive stress responses, perceptions of resources and self-confidence.

An Integrative Framework of Stress, Attention, and Visuomotor Performance.

The aim of this article is to present an integrative conceptual framework that depicts the effect of acute stress on the performance of visually guided motor skills. We draw upon seminal theories highlighting the importance of subjective interpretations of stress on subsequent performance and outline how models of disrupted attentional control might explain this effect through impairments in visuomotor control. We first synthesize and critically discuss empirical support for theories examining these relationships in isolation. We then outline our integrative framework that seeks to provide a more complete picture of the interacting influences of stress responses (challenge and threat) and attention in explaining how elevated stress may lead to different visuomotor performance outcomes. We propose a number of mechanisms that explain why evaluations of stress are related to attentional control, and highlight the emotion of anxiety as the most likely candidate to explain why negative reactions to stress lead to disrupted attention and poor visuomotor skill performance. Finally, we propose a number of feedback loops that explain why stress responses are often self-perpetuating, as well as a number of proposed interventions that are designed to help improve or maintain performance in real world performance environments (e.g., sport, surgery, military, and aviation).

Robotically assisted laparoscopy benefits surgical performance under stress.

While the benefits of robotic surgery for the patient have been relatively well established, little is known about the benefits for the surgeon. This study examined whether the advantages of robotically assisted laparoscopy (improved dexterity, a 3-dimensional view, reduction in tremors, etc.) enable the surgeon to better deal with stressful tasks. Subjective and objective (i.e. cardiovascular) responses to stress were assessed while surgeons performed on either a robotic or conventional laparoscopic system. Thirty-two surgeons were assigned to perform a surgical task on either a robotic system or a laparoscopic system, under three stress conditions. The surgeons completed self-report measures of stress before each condition. Furthermore, the surgeons' cardiovascular responses to stress were recorded prior to each condition. Finally, task performance was recorded throughout each condition. While both groups reported experiencing similar levels of stress, compared to the laparoscopic group, the robotic group displayed a more adaptive cardiovascular response to the stress conditions, reflecting a challenge state (i.e. higher blood flow and lower vascular resistance). Furthermore, despite no differences in completion time, the robotic group performed the tasks more accurately than the laparoscopic group across the stress conditions. These results highlight the benefits of using robotic technology during stressful situations. Specifically, the results show that stressful tasks can be performed more accurately with a robotic platform, and that surgeons' cardiovascular responses to stress are more favourable. Importantly, the 'challenge' cardiovascular response to stress displayed when using the robotic system has been associated with more positive long-term health outcomes in domains where stress is commonly experienced (e.g. lower cardiovascular disease risk).

Robotic technology results in faster and more robust surgical skill acquisition than traditional laparoscopy.

Technical surgical skills are said to be acquired quicker on a robotic rather than laparoscopic platform. However, research examining this proposition is scarce. Thus, this study aimed to compare the performance and learning curves of novices acquiring skills using a robotic or laparoscopic system, and to examine if any learning advantages were maintained over time and transferred to more difficult and stressful tasks. Forty novice participants were randomly assigned to either a robotic- or laparoscopic-trained group. Following one baseline trial on a ball pick-and-drop task, participants performed 50 learning trials. Participants then completed an immediate retention trial and a transfer trial on a two-instrument rope-threading task. One month later, participants performed a delayed retention trial and a stressful multi-tasking trial. The results revealed that the robotic-trained group completed the ball pick-and-drop task more quickly and accurately than the laparoscopic-trained group across baseline, immediate retention, and delayed retention trials. Furthermore, the robotic-trained group displayed a shorter learning curve for accuracy. The robotic-trained group also performed the more complex rope-threading and stressful multi-tasking transfer trials better. Finally, in the multi-tasking trial, the robotic-trained group made fewer tone counting errors. The results highlight the benefits of using robotic technology for the acquisition of technical surgical skills.

Reappraising Threat: How to Optimize Performance Under Pressure.

Competitive situations often hinge on one pressurized moment. In these situations, individuals' psychophysiological states determine performance, with a challenge state associated with better performance than a threat state. But what can be done if an individual experiences a threat state? This study examined one potential solution: arousal reappraisal. Fifty participants received either arousal reappraisal or control instructions before performing a pressurized, single-trial, motor task. Although both groups initially displayed cardiovascular responses consistent with a threat state, the reappraisal group displayed a cardiovascular response more reflective of a challenge state (relatively higher cardiac output and/or lower total peripheral resistance) after the reappraisal manipulation. Furthermore, despite performing similarly at baseline, the reappraisal group outperformed the control group during the pressurized task. The results demonstrate that encouraging individuals to interpret heightened physiological arousal as a tool that can help maximize performance can result in more adaptive cardiovascular responses and motor performance under pressure.